Siphoning tongue for radiator vent valves



Nov. 22, 1955 w. F. RUFFER SIPHONING TONGUE FOR RADIATOR VENT VALVES Filed Oct. 28, 1950 FIG 4 FIG. 3

INVENTOR. 1 :77 My BY QM M 4/ A TORNEY FIG.2

United States Patent Ofifice 2,724,400 Patented Nov. 22, 1955 SIPHONING TONGUE non RADIATOR VENT VALVES Walter F. Rulrer, Birmingham, Mich., assignor to Detroit Controls Corporation, a corporation of Michigan Application October 28, 1950, Serial No. 192,794

4 Claims. (Cl. 137-201) This inventionrelates to new and useful improvements in vent valves for. steam radiators and more particularly to a vent valve having an improved siphon tongue atrangement for efiecting more rapid and efiicient drainage of liquid from the valve casing back into the radiator.

Vent valves for steam heating systems are almost as old I as the art of steam heating itself since from the earliest days the necessity of venting air from radiators at the start of a new cycle of operation was recognized. The earliest types of radiator vent valves comprised a casing having an inlet nipple for attachment to a radiator,

having, an outlet valve port and an outlet valve operated usually by a thermostatic member which was also a float for providing response to rise in liquid level in the valve casing. It was found almost from the start however, that when a vent valve casing became filled to a considerable extent with condensed water, there was a necessity for providing some means to assist the flow of water from the valve casing back into the radiator. To provide such a drainage assisting means siphon tubes were resorted to such as is shown in Patent 823,632 to one E. .H. Packard. The siphon tube vent valve thereupon became the standard commercial valve and was used generally by most vent valve manufacturers until about 1940.

Over a period of time, however, steam radiators were made smaller and more compact and eventually the installation of. siphon tube vent valves became so difficult that a new type of valve was devised to meet the problem of installation. It was discovered that the difficulties of the siphon tube valve could be eliminated and a more compact valve constructed by use of a tongue member which formed a partition across the inlet nipple to the valve and which extended beyond theend of the nipple into the radiator thus providing divided passages for inlet of steam and outlet of water to and from the valve casing. One of the earliest valves using a partition construction of this type is shown in Patent 2,057,041 to McDonough et al. Subsequent improvements in construction recognized the necessity for the partition to extend beyond the end of the inlet nipple and are set forth in Patent. 2,289,218 to Simpson, 2,338,495 to Davies and 2,284,137 to Eggleston. It was later discovered and shown in Patent 2,368,712 to Jehle that more efiicient siphoning of liquid from the vent valve could be accomplished if the end of the siphoning tongue extended into the radiator and to a lower level than the inlet nipple to the valve thus providing a siphoning action more analogous to a siphon tube construction. In all of the prior valves it has been thought necessary to completely divide the flow of steam from the flow of water to permit proper siphoning of water from the valve casing. Applicant has found that this construction is not necessary and that vent valves can be made to drain properly without either a siphon tube or internal tongue or partition.

Accordingly, it is one object of this invention to provide a radiator air vent valve of new and improved construction.

Another object is to provide an air vent valve having an improved means for siphoning condensed water from the valve casing back into the radiator.

Another object is to provide an air vent valve having a siphoning member which is movably positioned external to the valve inlet nipple.

Another object is to provide an improved siphoning tongue for air vent valves which is simply and inexpensively constructed and simple to install on such a valve.

Other objects will become apparent from time to time throughout the specification and claims as hereinafter related.

This invention comprises the new and improved construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and the novelty of which will be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

In the accompanying drawing to be taken as part of this specification, there is clearly and fully illustrated a preferred embodiment of this invention in which draw- 1ng Figure 1 is a view in central section of an air vent valve embodying this invention and showing the valve actuating float in elevation with a corner thereof shown in broken section,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the inlet nipple of the valve shown in Fig. 1 taken on the section line 22 and showing the improved siphon tongue member,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1 showing in enlarged detail the mounting of the siphon tongue on its pivot member, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the inlet nipple and siphon tongue of the valve shown in Fig. 1 show ing the same assembled on a radiator.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference there is shown a radiator air vent valve generally designated 1 comprising a casing 2 having a bottom wall 3. Secured in an aperture in the side wall of the casing 2 there is provided an inlet nipple 4 for connection to a radiator 5 as shown in Fig. 4. At the top of the casing 2 a valve port member 6 is secured in an aperture in the casing and provides a valve port 7 and seat 8 for conable thermostatic material contained therein.

member 9 is secured in the member 6 and has a knob member 10 and indicator 11 threadedly secured thereon for adjustment. The member 9 has a small oulet aperture 12 and larger apertures 13 opening into an outlet passage 14 providing an adjustable means for determining the size of the venting port. Positioned within the casing 2 there is a float member 15 which carries a valve member 16 cooperable with the valve seat 8 to close off flow from the casing, The float member 15 rests upon a threaded adjustable abutment 17 which is operable to determine the amount of travel of the valve member 16 required to close the outlet port 7. The abutment member 17 is preferably soldered in position as at 18 after original adjustment by the manufacturer. The bottom wall 19 of the float 15 is dished inwardly and provides a diaphragm responsive to expansion of a gas or other suit- The inlet nipple 4 has a pair of oppositely positioned recesses or apertures 20. A siphon tongue member 21 of generally semi-cylindrical construction is positioned entirely outside the end of the inlet nipple 4 and is supported by a hairpin shaped wire 22 having outwardly bent ends 23 inserted into the apertures 20 for pivotal connection to the nipple 4. The tongue member 21 has a portion 24 cut and bent inward to receive the rebent end 25 of the hairpin member 22 and provides a compression connection thereto. The tongue member 21 may be rotated to a point substantially below the passage through the nipple 4, as is shown in Fig. 1, but may be pivoted upward to facilitate insertion into a radiator, as shown in Fig. 4.

In operation the valve casing 2 is connected by the nipple 4 to the radiator 5 as shown in Fig. 4. With the outlet valve port 7 positioned upright the valve port is initially open and as steam enters the radiator, air is permitted to vent from the valve. When steam reaches the valve the float member 15 is heated and the pressure therein expands the bottom wall or diaphragm 19 thus raising the valve member 16 to a closed position against the valve seat 8. If sufiicient steam condenses within the casing 2to buoy up or raise the float member 15 to its heat 8, the water will act to hold the valve member 16 in closed position independently of temperature. The siphon tongue 21 which is positioned entirely external to the casing nipple 4 engages the edge of the radiator aperture in which the nipple 4 is secured to confine the fiow of water from the valve into a stream separated from the incoming steam at the point of entry to the radiator.

The exact theory of operation of this siphon tongue arrangement is not known but it has been found that a proper siphon action is obtained by this construction which eliminates the necessity of an internal partition within the nipple 4 or the provision of a siphon tube. This construction is very simple to manufacture and the pivotal hairpin member 22 is easily positioned in the nippie 4 by merely compressing the legs thereof together, slipping the same through the nipple and allowing the outwardly bent portions 23 to spring into the pivot recesses 20.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a radiator air vent valve, a casing having an outlet port, an automatic valve in said casing and operable to close said outlet port, an inlet nipple projecting from and opening into said casing, siphoning means comprising a tongue member of downwardly open channellike lateral cross-section positioned entirely external of said nipple and outside said casing and adapted to engage an interior wall of a radiator to direct the drainage flow of water draining from said casing, and a supporting wire member pivotally secured in said nipple and supporting said tongue member for pivotal movement in said external position.

I 2. In a radiator air vent valve, a casing having an outlet port, an adjustable plug member cooperable with said outlet port for varying the size thereof, a valve member in said casing cooperable with and operable to close said port, a fioat member supporting said valve member and operable to close said port upon predetermined rise in the level of condensed Water in said casing, an inlet nipple secured to and opening into said casing, said nipple being adapted to be secured in an aperture connection to a radiator to conduct air and steam from the radiator to said casing and to permit drainage of water from said casing back into the radiator, said nipple having a pair of oppositely positioned holes therein, a hairpinshaped member of wire having the ends of its legs bent outward to fit in the holes in said nipple to provide a pivotal connection and having its rebent end extending beyond the end of said nipple outside said casing, a tongue member of semi-cylindrical lateral cross-section having its convex face upward and positioned external to said nipple, means securing said tongue member to the rebent end of said hairpin-shaped member to support the same in said external position, and said tongue member being adapted to engage an interior wall of a radiator to direct the drainage flow of water from said casing.

3. An air vent valve comprising a casing having an outlet port and a, laterally extending inlet nipple positioned below said port and adapted to be inserted into a vent port, a valve member in said casing and operable to control flow from said outlet port, a tongue member positioned entirely external of said nipple and comprising a downwardly open channel-like member extending longitudinally of said nipple, a supporting member extending from said nipple and having one end portion secured to and lying against said tongue member, and means pivotally securing said supporting member for vertical movement of said tongue member relative to said nipple such that the longitudinal side edges of said tongue member will engage and rest upon the wall of said vent port.

4. In an air vent valve, a casing having a laterally extending inlet nipple and a siphoning means carried by said nipple, said siphoning means comprising a tongue member positioned entirely external of said nipple and a resilient rebent supporting wire having oppositely positioned outturned ends, said nipple having oppositely and horizontally positioned sockets pivotally receiving said out-turned ends, the rebent end portion of said Wire extending out of said nipple, said tongue member being av channel-like downwardly open sheet material member having a transverse bridging portion receiving said rebent wire portion, said tongue member being held tightly upon said supporting wire by the resilient engagement of said rebent portion with said bridge portion and said tongue member.

References Cited in the file of this patent Jehle et al. Feb. 6, 

